‘This is the perfect time for the staff to reinvent themselves’
A new employee training program from Malaysia Airlines is giving pilots a launchpad into the digital future. It’s the next step to recovery in a post-pandemic world, company officials said.
The airlines kicked off MH EDGILE, a program for upskilling and reskilling more than 2,000 employees, who are mostly pilots and cabin crew members affected by the slowdown in air travel due to COVID-19.
“This is the perfect time for the staff to reinvent themselves,” said Captain Izham Ismail, group CEO of Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG), the airlines’ parent company.
“With the pandemic still showing little sign of improvement, forcing some airlines to halt operations and ground almost fleet, it is important for us to prepare our workforce with new skill sets,” he said.
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The Learning & Development program aims to help employees become more efficient in their current roles or “shift into emerging positions” as they continue to support business goals, he said.
Employees can choose to train in specialised areas such as facilities management and audit, or in general and trainable areas such as sales and IT helpdesk.
While the training is optional, staff members interested in the scheme will be subject to screening and asked to complete pre-requisites when vying for a slot. They may also maintain licenses for their current jobs while taking on interim MH EDGILE assignments on a full-time basis.
Trainees will be coached in their new role, but the scope and duration of the assignment will depend on the airlines’ requirements.
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“We are on our journey to transform MAG employees into a future workforce adaptable to new challenges and ready for what lies ahead of us in the post-COVID 19 world,” said Dato’ Mohd Khalis Abdul Rahim, group chief human capital officer of Malaysia Airlines Berhad.
To drive sustainability, the company said it will develop its talent base and foster a culture of continuous improvement. “We are embracing the Lean and Agile work culture and digitalization simultaneously,” the HR leader said.
